Education is a central priority for the State of Santa Catarina. Its policy makers are firmly committed to providing a relevant and efficient education system that responds to the requirements of the global economy and allows the state to be competitive, both nationally and internationally.

This OECD review gives a brief overview of education in Santa Catarina and its development. It presents an analysis of the system from pre-school to tertiary education and lifelong learning, and identifies key directions for policy reform in light of the challenges encountered by officials, communities, enterprises, educators, parents and students. It concludes with a set of key recommendations concerning the structure of the system and its labour market relevance; access and equity; governance and management; research, development and innovation; internationalisation; and financing.

This report will be useful for professionals in Santa Catarina as well as their Brazilian and international counterparts.

Executive summary

The present general review of the education system in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, examines the whole spectrum of education and research provision, and offers policy recommendations.

With a population of about 6.2 million, Santa Catarina is a relatively wealthy and economically progressive state. Both the federal government and the state authorities have invested significant resources in expanding education provision at all levels. An extensive raft of legislation and educational policy initiatives has been introduced, and education in all public education institutions is free.

Despite such praiseworthy efforts, the quantitative expansion of provision is not matched by the quality of the education provided, as measured by national and international tests. The key target for the future is therefore to raise the quality of student achievement, through improvements in all sub-sets of the education system, as summarised below.